Yes, it’s football season. But do not underestimate the power or profit of the NBA. They say Vegas makes about $500 million per month on NBA wagers. And once you start taking down online numbers, that number is guaranteed to climb into the billions.
For that reason, we wanted to speak to past, present, and future pay per head bookies to explain that the season is tipped off. It’s time to look at the landscape and make some money.
Here are some things you need to know as we go into the meat of the NBA season. See below.
NFL Bettors will Want to Be NBA
There’s a misconception that it’s all that matters when the NFL kicks off. But the NBA will be huge to your bottom line regarding NFL bettors looking for some play between games. Each NBA team plays 82 games in a season. That means, unlike the NFL, there will be NBA action every night for the upcoming months. Capitalize on the uptick in action by offering your players some deals on parlay. They’ll have an opportunity to combine their NFL bets with NBA wagers.
The NBA, like the NFL, offers standard spread betting with numbers like -3, -7, and -10, the norm. This is unlike the MLB and NHL wagers, which focus mostly on moneylines and runline/pucklines.
Start Checking Reports Now
NBA odds will be hot right out the gate; therefore, it’s smart to check where your players are placing action right off the bat. Start checking your reports now. Who’s picking the right games? Who’s picking the right totals? Who’s loading up on futures and props? Your reports will inform you if you have some wiseguys in your midst and if you have a good crop of players placing parlays. As a bookie, parlays are a big indicator what kind of players you have. For your bottom line, having a good crop of players looking to place some “fun” bets is good.
Underdogs are Up
We can already see a couple of trends forming in NBA betting. Underdogs cover 53% of the time. This is a little different than years past. Right now, NBA teams seem to be doing a bit of a reshuffle regarding who are contenders and who will fail to make the playoffs.
Although the underdog’s covering is generally in your favor, keep an eye on which players are profiting from this uptick in underdog bets.
Make Sure Your Sportsbook Allows Same-Game Parlays
Same-game parlays are becoming hugely popular in parlay betting. Make sure you have this feature available at your pay per head sportsbook. Sites like Boss Action should have the feature. Same-game parlays are essentially parlays that include props. Therefore all your bets can be on the same game.
It’s becoming a bigger and bigger term in betting circles and, therefore should be something you advertise to your players.
Players to Watch
Based on record and history, we have to think Giannis Antetokoounmpo is the favorite to win MVP. However, from a lot of the odds we’ve seen, it’s Luka Doncic with the lead. Expect players to go with what’s familiar and hammer Antetokounmpo odds unless Luka goes on a historic run.
Teams to Watch
The Los Angeles Lakers and Los Angeles Clippers have started the season 1-5 and 1-6 against the spread, respectively. Things should get better, but they don’t look nearly as competitive as they did in years past.
The same goes for the Brooklyn Nets and Miami Heat, both past contenders but 1-6 ATS. The Warriors have struggled a bit out of the gate, but we expect them to turn things around and go on an ATS run. Meanwhile, the teams that have exceeded expectations are the Portland Trailblazers, who have started the season 5-1 ATS, and the Cleveland Cavaliers, who have started 5-1 ATS after they added guard Donovan Mitchell. It looks like he’s paying dividends.
All that said, from a futures standpoint, the Milwaukee Bucks and Boston Celtics sit at the top of the odds. Somehow the Clippers are top four in NBA futures, but we don’t see how that lasts unless Kawhi Leonard starts playing more games. He’s played in two of seven.